Vehicle drive control mechanism



Jan. 1, 1952 M. MAAT 2,580,449

VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL MECHANISM Filed April 1, 1948 3 sheets sheet lFig. 5.

4: Mar/nus Maaf 1N VENTOR.

BY My 3% Jan. 1, 1952 MAAT VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL MECHANISM 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1948 h gn h m: 3v |1 M 1:1 m wm, Q m v! mm3 H hm mm Wm W v g. R .1 h Q Mme mm m9 g M .T H m H R ma 4 wk Q9 Q 8. @Qvb mwx mw v S Q2 mm on F QQ NE L E mm mm IN M 3 m9 N Mar/nus Man! I NVENTOR. www- 'w %q,

Jan. 1, T VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL MECHANISM Filed April 1, 1948 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Mar/nus Maaf IN VENTOK Fig. 3.

Patented Jan. I, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROLMECHANISM Ma nu Mea Par m Du ch W I ies.

Application Aprill, 1948,: Serial No. 18,393" 1 Claim. (01. 745-778)This invention relates to a motor vehicle drive and has as its primaryobject the modification of the usual acceleratormeans,

Another object of. the invention is to permit the vehicle to be moresimply operated and is.

especially valuable when used by novice drivers.

Yet another object ofthe invention is to provide means whereby thevehicle may be driven either forward or in reverse, using the sameprinciples of the invention, and accomplishing this by a simple shiftingof appropriate parts.

And yet anotherobject of the invention is to provide a device that issimple to install, durable in construction, and economical inmanufacture.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novelconstruction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinaftermore specifically described; claimed and illustrated in the drawings,inwh-ich;

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an automobile with a sectionbroken away to show the invention in operative position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the,

invention;

Figure 3 is a transverse view of the invention taken substantiallyalongline s3 -.3- of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of the control.

mechanism;

Figure 5 is an enlarged front view of the small tank and illustratingstar wheelcontrol means;

and1

Figure 6 is a transverseview of the control;

mechanism. taken along lines 6-45 of Figure 4.

34 through bevel gear 36, to operate valved pistons 38' through rotationof shaft secured to gear 34 and piston arms 40 andentering tank 20through suitable bearing means 42. Pistons 35 reciprocate in cylinders44 apertured along the medial periphery thereof at 46. Cylinders 44 aremounted Within a smaller tank 48 contained within large tank 20 andincludes apertures 50 e -th l wsrt d he eof e ti tas valveaseats for"valves 52 urged into seating position by means of coil springs 54,valves 52 being inserted through the floor of tank 20 and retainedbythreaded bolts 56. Tank 20 includes a pressure relief valve 58 of usualconstruction to enable oil to escape in the event that an excesspressure is built up in tank 48. d

When a piston is in raised position, illustrated in Figure 2, oil intank 20 enters through apertures 46, by thevacuum produced, intocylinder forced out through apertures 52, overcoming the upward pressureexerted. by spring 54 and forcing the fluid through apertures 60 (Figure5) in the front wall 62' of tank 48 Actuation of both pistons causes acontinuous circulation of oil and the total amount of oil sentoutthrough: tank 48 is equal to the oil intake of pistons 38.

A star wheel 64 is mounted on shaft 65 rotatively held in bearings 68 onwall 62. A'lever i8 is pivotally mounted on shaft fiGjto move star wheel54 into alignment with apertures 60, as isshown in Figure 3, therebyclosing them, or

alternatively into the dotted line position illus trated in Figure 5,where the apertures are free ;to transmit pumped oil. The movement ofwheel is such that apertures 60 may be adjusted to vary from open toclosed positions Stops l2 and 14 on wall 62 limit the rotationalmovement of the starwheel and the upward and .downwardmovements of lever10. Ateach end of lever Mare pins 1-6 and 18 engaging arms 88 and 82respectively. Arm B0 is;s1otted at its lower extremity. at 84to receivepin 16 and is con nected -at its upper end to pedal part I04. Coilspring 88-issecured to lever Ill at90 and to the bottom of tank 20 bymeans of: an eye Q2, exert ing a constant downward pull on lever 10.

A valve regulator 94 is mounted on wall 62 and isconnected by means oflink 96 to rod 98' secured by bell crank lever Hill toalongitudinallyextending rod I02- connected to the vehicle dashboard. Ontraveling'up a hill-,,valve 94 is opened and gas pedal isadepressed asmuch as possible, causing the motor to work under low gear speedconditions. A part ofthe; oil will run through valve 94 to slow downpistons 38 to reduce the speed of the. vehicle, the accelerationdecreasing according to the quantity of oil released by valve;

As is best seen, in Figure 6, gas pedal 86 is of two parallel parts 104,106, pivoted at lllil to the floor of' thecar. The width of I 04 andI016 will equal the width of the average foot pedal', or may be variedas desired As shown in Figure i, a; a a d: '1 a ame ne s nlyp ate 1- 1is rigidly attached to pedal part I08 as is a tension 44 and thedownward stroke causes the oil to be spring II4. The plate II2 alsoextends under pedal part I04 but is not connected thereto, so thatmember I06 is movable without actuating member I04. A quadrant H6 ispivoted at H8 and quadrant'II6 is connected to a hand brake controllever I20 mounted on the .dashboard of the vehicle, and is connectedthereto by means of coupling rod I22 pivoted at I24 to a link I26pivoted at its midpoint at I28 and, link I26 terminating in a bifurcatedend I30 extending through an open slot I32 on quadrant I I6. Thus, asseen in dotted lines, actuation of the hand brake control lever I20thereto releases quadrant I I6 from engagement with pedal I04, and infull line position lever I20 prevents movement thereof. With a twosection pedal, the motor will operate without disturbing the circulationof fluid and the release of brake lever I will not start the vehicle asonly pedal I06 which is connected to the fuel supply, can be used. Pedal86 serves a double function. It regulates the supply offuel to the'motor independently and controls apertures'60 in tank 20 and by closingthem, shaft is stopped from rotating, rotation being transmitted to therear Wheels of the vehicle.

A brake pedal I34 is pivotally secured to the floor of the car and isurged upwardly by spring I36. Rod I38 extends from pedal I34 forconnection by crank lever-I39, to arm 82 on lever I0. When brake pedalI34 is depressed, a brake rod MI is shifted and the'wheel 64-is rotatedto the position shown in Figure 5 and apertures 60 are wide open therebyallowing the free flow of fluid and stopping the vehicle by the usualwheel brakes. In other words, the differential 26 rotates freely andwheel brakes (not illustrated) are applied simultaneously as a. resultof actuation of a brake rod I M. I

To replace the accelerator, the construction illustrated'in Figure 2 isused. A housing I40 includes bevel gears I42 and I44 in meshingengagement. Gear I44 is mounted on shaft 32 extending through bearingsI46. Shaft 32 includes a spring I48 between gear I44 and plate I50 toconstantly urge clutch member I52 into engagement with clutch memberI54. Clutch member I54 is in turn mounted on shaft I56 which receivesthereon bevel gear I58 and plate I60 as well as a spring I62 for urgingclutch member I 54 into locking engagement with clutch member I 52. AU-shaped arm I64 has a shift lever or rod I 66 secured thereto inoperative connection with a rod I 68 extending into the vehicle.

.Shaft I 56 is in universal connection with a shaft I10 connected to therear wheels of the vehicle. It is to be noted that bevel gears I42 andI44 are in constant engagement while gear I58 normally rides free.However, 'when lever I68 is pulled into reverse, U-arm I64 moves clutchmember I52 out of engagement with clutch member I54 while the bevel gearI58 then is engaged with the pinionI42 and is rotated by pinion I 42pulls lever 10 downand the innermost rowof 4 apertures 60 are closed bystar wheel 64. Oil enters under pressure and pistons 38 and gear 34rotate slowly. As pressure on pedal 86 causes the motor to increasespeed, gears 36 transfer the difference between rotation of shaft 30 andthe increased action of engine I2 to bevel gear I12 and the vehiclebegins to move. Increase in depression of gas pedal 86 causes moreapertures 60 to be shut off with a corresponding decrease in actuationof pistons 38 and in turn a greater transmission of power to gear I12.By simply releasing pedal 86, power is decreased and the vehicle isslowed down.

As asafety measure, brake pedal I 34 can be actuated .to pivot lever 70to the left to open apertures 60 and allow free circulation of fluidthrough tanks 48 and 20, thereby reducing acceleration.

Shaft 32 rotates pinions I44 in engagement with pinions I42 to drive thevehicle forward. Movement of lever I62 disengages pinion I44 from I 42and causes gear I 42 to-mesh with gear I58 on shaft I56. Power istransmitted to the rear wheels via shaft I I0 and the vehicle now movesin reverse.

Obviously other types of pump means, such as rotary pumps or the likemay be substituted.

From the above, it is seen that the several objects of the invention areattained and other advantageous results achieved.

As many modifications of a the embodiment above illustrated might bemade without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentinvention, it is intended that the above description and alimitivesense. I

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a vehicle including a motor having a throt- :tle', a two-partpedalcomprising two treadle parts, a plate attached to the bottom of onetreadle part and extending transversely therefrom to be below the othertreadle part for engagement by the latter, means connecting one treadlepart to the throttle, a fluid tank, a cylinder with a coacting piston insaid tank, inlet apertures in an intermediate portion of said cylinder,a valve outlet at one end of the cylinder, closure means for said outlethaving a portion "threaded through an adjacent wall of said tank,

a pivot'edllever secured to said closure means, and an actuating rodconnecting the second treadle part of said pedal to said lever foractuating said closure means and a differential assembly having one gearoperatively connected with said piston, an opposed gear connected to a,drive shaft, and a housing rotatively mount ed on the vehicle'andcarrying satellite gears in mesh with the other gears.

' v MARINUS MAA'I.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES" eATEN'rs Number Name Date 1,620,100 Hoxton Mar. 8, 19271,747,497 Weylandt Feb. 18, 1930 1,800,062 Fordyce Apr. 7, 1931,2,383,690 Sklovsky et a1 Aug. 28, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country vDate g 585,734 France Dec. l3,

